Business Articles Research

Day Center for Homeless Awarded $1.4 Million

The Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless was awarded $1.4 million in federal funds to rapidly rehouse families and individuals who fall into homelessness, or to prevent them from becoming homeless.The Tulsa Day Center is partnering with 11 other agencies in the community to distribute the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program funds to eligible families and individuals for short- and medium-term rental and utility assistance.“We are honored that the Tulsa Day Center was selected for this grant, which will separately fund a new program on top of our core services that help those in need in our city on a daily basis,” said Tulsa Day Center Executive Director Sandra Lewis. “In this economic crisis, this much-needed federal assistance will help us assist our neighbors who have hit a bump in the road and are on the brink of homelessness or are already homeless.”The grant to the day center is part of $1.5 billion awarded to more than 400 communities, supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The purpose of the HPRP is to provide homelessness prevention assistance to households who would otherwise become homeless — many due to the economic crisis — and provide assistance to rapidly re-house people who are experiencing homelessness.The grant will not fund operations at the Tulsa Day Center, which provides food, shelter and safety to an average of 400 people each day. Donations at the shelter are down about 30 percent for the year, and the successful operation of services is still dependent on the generosity of the community.The agencies with which the Tulsa Day Center is working include Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Veteran’s Administration, Volunteers of America, Tulsa Housing Authority, Tulsa County Emergency Services, Mental Health Association in Tulsa, John 3:16 Mission, Youth Services of Tulsa, Family & Children’s Services, Legal Aide Services of Oklahoma and Community Service Council.